Minor Transactions: 12/31/18
On the last day of 2018, 26 of the league’s 31 teams will be in action. The day starts with an epic matchup between the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, and ends with a pair of Western Conference battles that could have a big impact on the playoffs. While teams prepare for 2019, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves they make today.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Eric Robinson from the minor leagues, after a great start from the former Princeton University standout. Signed last spring as an undrafted college free agent, Robinson played in one game down the stretch for the Blue Jackets but was held scoreless. That hasn’t been the case very often in the minor leagues, where the 23-year old forward has recorded 19 points in 33 games and is tied for second on the team in goals with 10.
- C.J. Smith is on his way up to the Buffalo Sabres, recalled from the AHL today. Smith has followed up an outstanding first professional season with 29 points in 33 games this year, and is tied with Victor Olofsson for the Rochester Americans scoring lead. The 24-year old has two NHL games under his belt, but is still waiting to score his first goal at the highest level.
- The Washington Capitals are preparing for the return of Brooks Orpik by assigning Tyler Lewington to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, his NHL stint over for now. Lewington played two games for the Capitals and actually recorded two points, also getting into a fight to kick off his NHL career.
- Nicholas Baptiste is on his way up to the Nashville Predators, the first time he’ll be part of an NHL locker room that doesn’t belong to the Buffalo Sabres. Baptiste, 23, has 14 points with the Milwaukee Admirals this season after being acquired from the Sabres in early October.
- While they deal with a lengthy injury to Dustin Byfuglien, the Winnipeg Jets will rely on their defensive depth to keep them afloat in the Central Division. Relying on that depth means Sami Niku is headed back to the NHL, where he could see some additional playing time. Niku played in five games earlier this season for the Jets but is still looking for his first point of the year.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore under emergency conditions once again, and the young forward will continue to fill in for the injured Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis. Moore has two points in his first three NHL games and has injected some more speed into the Maple Leafs’ fourth line.
- Egor Yakovlev has played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils this season, but for now he is heading back to the minor leagues. The team sent Yakovlev down before their afternoon tilt against the Vancouver Canucks.
- The Ottawa Senators have officially placed Christian Jaros on injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Jaros broke his finger while in a fight with Islanders’ Ross Johnston Friday and will be out for a month. The team already placed Thomas Chabot on IR further weakening the team’s defense.
- He’s already playing, but before the game today, the New York Rangers activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old was expected to miss two to four weeks with a separated shoulder, but has returned closer to the two-week mark. The veteran has struggled with injuries since signing with New York in the summer of 2017. Shattenkirk has appeared in 29 games this season, but has clashed at times with new head coach David Quinn, and is playing a career-low 18:23 of ATOI this season. He will attempt to boost those numbers again now that he’s healthy.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have assigned veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski to the Iowa Wild of the AHL after their 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh today. That could suggest that defenseman Nick Seeler will be ready to return to the team for Thursday’s game at Toronto. Bartkowski played in two games filling in, scoring a goal Saturday.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Lehtera, Caggiula
The NHL released the Three Stars for last week, and at the top is a man who has been there before. Patrick Kane, the electric winger for the Chicago Blackhawks comes in at the top spot, after recording five goals in just two games. The Blackhawks haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but Kane provided the fans with two game-winners to get them on the right track around Christmas. Even in an extremely down year for Chicago, Kane is having an outstanding season with 50 points in 40 games. He’s on track to record the second 40-goal, 100-point season of his career, which in 2016 won him the Art Ross, Hart and Ted Lindsay trophies as the league’s best player.
In the other two spots are a pair of youngsters trying to stand up to players like Kane. Second place goes to Mathew Barzal, who finished his week by showing New York Islanders fans that they don’t need John Tavares anymore. Barzal recorded a hat trick while the team demolished Tavares and the Maple Leafs 4-0 on Saturday night. In third is a newcomer to the list, MacKenzie Blackwood. The New Jersey Devils goaltender has exploded onto the scene and posted another shutout this afternoon to improve his numbers even further. The Devils may have found their goaltender of the present, let alone the future.
- Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera has been charged with buying cocaine in Finland, according to Tricia L. Nadolny of the Philadelphia Inquirer, though the NHL denies that he has actually been legally served at this point. Lehtera denies all charges, while the prosecutors are seeking a five-month sentence. Obviously there is more to come in this story, but for now deputy commissioner Bill Daly has told the Inquirer “we will not be intervening at this point and will continue to monitor the legal proceedings.”
- Drake Caggiula is part of the Chicago Blackhawks organization today, but it could have happened years ago had he made a different decision. According to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago, the Blackhawks pursued Caggiula out of college at the University of North Dakota and were a finalist for his services before he decided to sign and play with his childhood friend Connor McDavid in Edmonton. The team followed his progress and jumped at the chance to acquire him yesterday.
David Backes Suspended Three Games For High Hit
The Department of Player Safety has had their hearing with Boston Bruins forward David Backes and has opted not to be lenient with the respected veteran. Instead, Player Safety announced a three-game suspension for Backes, resulting from an “illegal check to the head” on New Jersey Devils forward Blake Coleman late in the third period of Thursday night’s game. The response from Player Safety is as follows:
As Coleman releases the puck, Backes delivers a shoulder to the head of Coleman, making the head the main point of contact, and knocking him to the ice. This is an illegal check to the head… (T)he brunt of the impact on this hit is delivered to Coleman’s head. It is also important to note that the head contact here was avoidable… If Backes wishes to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits Coleman’s shoulder and core. Instead Backes takes an angle of approach that cuts in front… making it the main point of contact.
Backes is a repeat offender by NHL standards, but also specifically for this type of hit. The power forward delivered a similar high hit to the head of Detroit Red Wings forward Frans Nielsen late last season and received a similar three-game suspension. At that time, a three games on his Backes’ violation seemed like a harsh penalty from Player Safety. This time around, so soon after the last incident and so similar in nature, anything less than three games likely would have been too lenient. The absence will also cost Backes approximately $220K.
Backes is set to miss a divisional bout with the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night, as well as a tough match-up with the Calgary Flames on January 3rd, but Backes’ biggest regret is likely that he will not be able to participate in the Winter Classic on New Years Day, when the Bruins face the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. While this likely opens the door to young Bruins forward Anders Bjork earning a call-up in time to make a homecoming of sorts at his alma mater, the 34-year-old Backes may have cost himself his last chance to play in an outdoor game in his NHL career.
David Backes To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety is back on the job after the holiday season, and have some work to do today. The league announced that Boston Bruins forward David Backes will have a hearing today with the DoPS regarding his illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Blake Coleman last night. As Coleman was moving the puck out of the slot, Backes tried to deliver a clean check but appeared to catch the head of the New Jersey player. A similar play resulted in a two-game suspension recently for San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, and could lead to some more time off for Backes.
Backes was suspended just last March for three games following his hit on Frans Nielsen of the Detroit Red Wings, making him a repeat offender in the eyes of the league and open to additional punishment. The physical veteran forward hasn’t been able to add much offensively this season, but still provides some stability in the Boston bottom-six and a respected leader on the bench.
The Bruins already have to make a decision today on who to send down, given they are currently over the roster limit of 23 players. That was allowed during the holiday freeze, but not any longer. A suspension for Backes doesn’t remove him from that number, meaning the team will have to play a man down for the next few games depending on how long the ban is.
No Timeline For Cory Schneider's Return
- There is no timeline for when Devils goaltender Cory Schneider will return to the lineup, notes Abbey Mastracco of the Bergen Record. The veteran was put on IR last week with an abdominal strain. This season has not gone well at all for the 32-year-old who has posted a nightmarish 4.66 GAA with a .852 SV% in seven appearances so far. Instead of potentially having a 1A/1B tandem with Keith Kinkaid, the latter has had to take on the bulk of the workload and is starting to falter. With that in mind, rookie Mackenzie Blackwood may be in line for some more playing time coming out of the break.
Minor Transactions: 12/26/18
As the 4 PM CST threshold has passed (meaning roster moves made after that point count only against the cap starting tomorrow), teams can start to bring players back up from the minors. Teams are already beginning to take advantage of that, announcing some moves in advance of games resuming on Thursday. We’ll keep tabs of those moves here.
- The Hurricanes have recalled wingers Clark Bishop and Janne Kuokkanen, per a team release. Both moves were expected as the pair were sent down just prior to the roster freeze to get them off the salary cap for a few days. Bishop has played in 16 games with Carolina this year, picking up a goal and an assist while being a bit more productive with the AHLs Checkers, collecting five points in 15 contests. Meanwhile, Kuokkanen has been held off the scoresheet in four NHL games but has been one of the top AHL producers, tallying 27 points in just 29 games.
- The Devils announced (Twitter link) that center John Quenneville has been recalled from Binghamton of the AHL. This move was also expected after he was sent down just before the holiday break. The 22-year-old has been productive in the minors, averaging a point-per-game in 19 AHL contests but that has yet to translate into much NHL production as he is pointless in 11 games with New Jersey so far this season.
Russia Notes: Vatanen, Kovalenko, Repik
According to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, the rights of New Jersey Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen have been traded in the KHL. Vatanen now belongs to Avangard Omsk, meaning he would have to sign with them if he ever decided to leave the NHL. Though this is by no means indicating that Vatanen is considering a move to the KHL—he has never given the slightest hint of desire to do so—it likely means he would have another suitor should he reach free agency after next season. There is an interesting history between the player and league, as Vatanen is the highest drafted Finnish player ever in KHL history, going second overall in 2010 (Aleksander Barkov was subsequently drafted second in 2012, before the draft was eliminated in 2016).
Vatanen is currently in the third season of a four-year $19.5MM contract signed with the Anaheim Ducks in 2016, and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. The puck-moving defenseman was acquired by the Devils in exchange for Adam Henrique, but could potentially hit the open market as a sought after commodity given his offensive upside and handedness. The Devils will have to try to lock him up next season, or face strong competition from the NHL and KHL for his services.
- Colorado Avalanche prospect Nikolai Kovalenko has been registered to the Russian World Junior team, after the country left a few spots open this week. Kovalenko is currently playing in the KHL for Yaroslavl, and was selected in the sixth round by the Avalanche in 2018. Adding the shifty forward will leave just two spots left on the squad, which will kick off their tournament tomorrow afternoon against Denmark.
- Former NHL forward Michal Repik saw his contract terminated with HC Slovan today, and will instead play the rest of the year with Vityaz Podolsk. The 29-year old has had a long and interesting playing career which included a Memorial Cup title with Vancouver Giants, 72 mostly ineffective games in the NHL, and a recent appearance at the Olympics for the Czech Republic.
Minor Transactions: 12/24/18
Though teams cannot technically complete any minor transaction today given the full roster freeze for Christmas, some moves from last night are still coming through the wire. Teams have cleared off any players that they can in order to bank extra cap space, given that they won’t be playing again until Thursday at the earliest. We’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here:
- John Quenneville has been sent down to the minors by the New Jersey Devils, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to them after the freeze is lifted. Seeing limited minutes with the Devils, the 22-year old still hasn’t been able to carve out a specific role for himself. It’s now been nearly two years since his last NHL point, a frustrating notion for both Quenneville and the Devils who invested a first-round pick in him several years ago.
- The Los Angeles Kings have sent Michael Amadio, Daniel Brickley and Sean Walker to the minor leagues to bank cap space, something they’ve been doing all season long. The Kings are using long-term injured reserve space to stay cap compliant, but with Carl Hagelin expected back at some point in the new year the team is going to have to clear some salary eventually.
- Clark Bishop and Janne Kuokkanen have been sent down for a similar reason, though in the Carolina Hurricanes case it’s more to save actual money than cap space. Both players earn a significantly lower salary while in the minor leagues on their two-way deals, something the fiscally conscious Hurricanes have to be aware of.
- Brandon Pirri was returned by the Vegas Golden Knights, something that certainly isn’t because of his play. The offensive-minded Pirri has three goals and four points in his first three Golden Knights games, and saw 16 minutes of ice time on Sunday night against the Kings. He’ll likely be recalled at some point to inject some more offense, though it’s important to note that Vegas still did lose two of those three games.
- Michael Bunting and Adin Hill are going down to the Tucson Roadrunners, another salary saving move by the Arizona Coyotes. Hill’s season is very interesting, given his solid performance and the goaltending situation in Arizona. The team still has Darcy Kuemper and Calvin Pickard, but still seems to want to keep Hill in the mix at the NHL level. The 22-year old goaltender will likely be back up before long.
- The Toronto Marlies have a game on Boxing Day, and could very well have one of their best forwards back in the lineup. The Maple Leafs have sent Trevor Moore back down for the time being, though with Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis out he’ll likely be back up before long.
Marcus Johansson Placed On Injured Reserve
The New Jersey Devils will be without the services of Marcus Johansson for at least the next seven days. Johansson has been placed on injured reserve, while Stefan Noesen was activated today. It’s an upper-body injury for the Devils forward, suffered early last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Johansson has certainly not had an easy ride since being acquired by the Devils in the summer of 2017. Dealing with multiple injuries last year, the versatile forward played in just 29 regular season games and was limited to just 14 points. That’s easily the lowest total of his career, a number he had already surpassed this season with 15 points in 31 games. Any more offensive contribution will have to wait, though it’s not clear yet for how long.
The Devils haven’t been able to recreate the magic that took them all the way to the playoffs last season, but still have plenty of time to turn things around. If they don’t, and continue to fall towards the bottom of the standings, you can bet some changes might be in order at the trade deadline. One of those changes could very well be Johansson, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the year finishes. The 28-year old does have a modified no-trade clause, but it only blocks trades five teams. His salary might be the bigger impediment, as a cap hit of $4.58MM is more than some will be able to take on even at the advanced date.
New Jersey could obviously decide to keep Johansson and try to re-sign him, but with more young players coming through the pipeline and a Taylor Hall extension coming quickly he might find himself on the outside looking in. This injury certainly doesn’t help his cause, especially if he’s out for more than a few games.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: New Jersey Devils
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the New Jersey Devils. Click here for the other articles in this series.
What are the Devils most thankful for?
Rather quietly, New Jersey has built up a sizable stable of talented players under the age of 25. Center Nico Hischier (20), the top pick back in 2017, headlines the group but winger Jesper Bratt (20) is off to a nice start to his sophomore year as well. Centers John Quenneville (22), Pavel Zacha (21), and Michael McLeod (20) have all shown signs of upside and give the Devils strong depth at a position that’s highly sought after. Will Butcher (24) and Damon Severson (24) provide them with capable options on the back end as well. Other than Hischier, there aren’t any franchise pillars to build around but this group should provide them with quality depth (and likely at some point, some trade options) that can serve as a strong supporting cast.
Who are the Devils most thankful for?
Only one team is able to say that they boast the reigning Hart Trophy winner and New Jersey is that team with Taylor Hall. They acquired the winger back in June of 2016 from Edmonton for defenseman Adam Larsson and the swap has worked out extremely well for the Devils as he has emerged as a legitimate top line player. There’s a case to be made that he pretty much singlehandedly carried them to a playoff spot last season and while his numbers are down a little bit this year, he’s still averaging over a point per game and leading the team in scoring. They’re also undoubtedly quite pleased that they’re getting this level of production for $6MM per year, a salary that second liners are starting to receive with regularity.
What would the Devils be even more thankful for?
Aside from Hall signing a long-term extension next summer, New Jersey would be extremely thankful if they could get back to counting on Cory Schneider between the pipes. This season has been nothing short of disastrous as he has posted a 4.66 GAA with a .852 SV% while dealing with multiple injury issues. (He just went back on injured reserve today with an abdominal strain.) Schneider still has three years left on his current deal with a $6MM cap hit and given his struggles, a trade is out of the question at this point. He was acquired to be their franchise goalie and up until this season, he was. Now, they have to hope he can eventually rediscover his form.
What should be on the Devils’ Holiday Wish List?
Defense has been an area of need for a while and even though they’ve made some additions in recent years, it’s still a group that could certainly benefit from another top-four addition. Another top-six forward would also bolster an attack that has largely been quiet aside from Hall, Hischier, and winger Kyle Palmieri. New Jersey has the cap space to make some impact additions but given where they sit in the conference, it may not be long until their focus shifts towards next season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.